A Promise Fulfilled
Acts 28:1-16
August 18, 2013
We mentioned last week at the end of the sermon
Where the book of Acts is headed.
The book of Acts opens with the BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
We saw the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the church begin.
From there Luke showed us the GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
It seemed like on every page hundreds, if not thousands of people were added.
Then we saw the SPREAD OF THE CHURCH
This started under the persecution of Saul, and then continued through the missionary efforts of Paul from Antioch.
I suppose you could say that the last segment of the book of Acts Chronicles the ENDURANCE OF THE CHURCH
We are truly beginning to see that nothing can stop her.
The first time the church was ever mentioned in Scripture, Jesus said:
Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
What Jesus was promising is that even though His church would be under constant attack, nothing could ultimately stop it.
And we have seen the attack of late.
• We’ve seen hostile Jews
• We’ve seen corrupt rulers
• We’ve seen foolish captains
• We’ve seen violent storms
• We’ve seen fearful soldiers (kill the prisoners)
All of these were a part of the enemy’s opposition to stop God’s plan.
And yet, God has just kept on with His perfect plan.
This reality will lead to the final verses of the book of Acts, which says:
Acts 28:30-31 “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”
Now, I do think it is only right to gain a full understanding of this reality.
What Luke says there does not mean
That the church will never face struggles.
In fact, there Luke says that Paul was “unhindered”,
But notice what Paul said to the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”
Paul may not have been hindered at the end of the book of Acts,
But he certainly was at other times in his ministry.
Furthermore, we could even take Paul’s desire to go to Rome
And see that it didn’t always go the way he wanted:
Romans 1:13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”
Romans 15:22 “For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you;”
So it is obvious that even though the church at times is unhindered, at other times she seems to be.
What is the balance?
Well Jesus said, “the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Satan may indeed oppose, Satan may even hinder.
But he will not win.
He will not keep God from accomplishing His purpose
In and through the church.
And I think that has been very clearly seen ever since Paul was given the promise by God that he would testify in Rome.
Acts 23:11 “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
God made a promise that Paul was headed to Rome.
But let’s not pretend like Paul just caught a flight the next day.
• Immediately following that promise an assassination attempt was made and Paul had to be smuggled out of Jerusalem.
• The next day Felix told Paul he would grant a hearing after the accusers arrived and that took another 5 days.
• After the trial, Felix left Paul imprisoned hoping for money.
• Paul stayed in prison there for two years.
• He was left in prison until Festus took over.
• After Festus spent about 10 days in Jerusalem he came back and heard Paul’s case, but even he could not rule.
• Several days later Agrippa arrived and he could do nothing either.
• Paul then stayed in custody until time to sail to Italy, and after contrary winds delayed them for what Luke calls (considerable time) (Acts 27:9) they took off and ultimately spend two weeks in a storm.
My point is, that God was fulfilling His purpose.
But don’t think that means that it was all smooth sailing.
That promise God made to Paul was nearly 3 years old.
In between was a whole bunch of hindering and opposition.
But when God makes a promise, He keeps it.
He is faithful.
Tonight, after 3 years of struggling,
We finally get to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to Paul.
And this fulfillment is a tremendous reminder to each of us
That God keeps His promises.
• Is it always in our timing? No
• Does it sometimes take longer than expected? Yes
But He does keep His word.
If you find yourself in the middle of a belief struggle like that,
Let the fulfillment of this promise give you courage and lift up your head.
3 points.
#1 GOD’S FLAWLESS PROTECTION
Acts 28:1-6
Last week we saw the promise to Paul that
Not only would he survive the storm,
But that God was also going to grant him the lives of everyone with him.
And that was fulfilled that all 276 people made it safely to land.
But now there is a whole new set of dangers and threats
That await the passengers.
The most immediate danger would have been the natives.
It was certainly not uncommon in Paul’s day for island natives to be a little restless. These people certainly faced the threat of hostility.
Another very present danger would have been the danger of hypothermia.
They had already been soaked by the storm, and now soaked by the sea.
But, as you can see God was in control of both of those scenarios.
(1-2) “When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.”
So the first two threats the passengers faced
Appeared to be no threats at all.
The natives were friendly and even gracious.
They took care of the needs of the passengers.
“they kindled a fire and received us all.”
WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?
This is what we would call a good act.
We see such acts around us occasionally.
Now some would wonder if these natives were Christians.
And the answer is, “No”, they aren’t.
We know that because in a moment when Paul survives the viper bite,
They start saying he is a god.
So why would they be so kind?
Why would they do good?
I want you to know that the answer is, GOD
How can that be?
Romans 2:14-16 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
There is a reason why even nonbelievers do good things.
The answer is because God has placed it in their heart.
Even though they do good for wrong reasons, they still know right and wrong.
• God is the one who put it into man that murder was instinctively wrong.
• God is the one who put it into man that theft was instinctively wrong.
• God is the one who put it into man that adultery was instinctively wrong.
Now, some men defile their conscience and do evil anyway.
But no man ever does anything good of his own accord.
If man does good, it is only because of God.
That doesn’t mean that sinful man is pleasing to God when he does good,
Because he is not.
But it does mean that God is still the only reason that he does good.
What that means is that God was still protecting Paul and his crew
There is no reason for these natives to show such hospitality
Except that God had put it in their hearts.
For some reason, these natives thought
Kindness was the appropriate response.
So the natives receive them and build a fire.
But the enemy is not finished trying to thwart God’s plan.
(3-4) “But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”
There was a certain type of viper that actually used stillness and camouflage as a type of protection. And that is what this snake was doing.
Paul actually picked it up in the pile of sticks.
However, when the heat hit the snake, the snake bit Paul.
That is an attack of the enemy.
And then we see the theology of the natives reveal itself.
“Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea justice has not allowed him to live.”
So you see that they did have a sense of justice in their heart.
Only God could have put that there.
But their theology still wasn’t good.
However, I do want to examine it a little,
Because when you are in the middle of the storm
People with this kind of theology can really darken your day.
They had theology that was very MAN CENTERED.
(And we see this a lot today; indeed it has been around a long time)
It is a theology that puts man at the center of everything and not God.
Blessing and Suffering are not attributed to the working of sovereign God, but rather they are attributed to the behavior and merit of man.
Now that is not to say that at times our suffering
Is not directly linked to our bad behavior.
Sin always has consequences, as does righteousness.
It is a general rule that if you do wicked things, the consequences are bad.
We see billboards today that say, “Drink, Drive, Go to Jail”
The flip side is that when you do righteous things, according to God’s plan, the general result is good.
However, if you take that to the utter extreme and keep man at the center of it all, then all suffering is only the result of sin and all blessing is only the result of righteousness.
And believe it or not that thinking is very prevalent.
One of the first times we see it in Scripture was with Job’s friends.
See, Scripture makes sure we know that Job is righteous.
The Bible actually says that he was the most righteous of his time.
However, the second hardship came his way,
His friends instantly applied their man-centered theology to him
And said that the only reason he was suffering
Is because he must be secretly wicked.
Eliphaz
Job 4:7-8 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it.”
Bildad
Job 8:1-7 “Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, “How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? “Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? “If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. “If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. “Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly.”
Zophar
Job 11:13-20 “If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; “Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear. “For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. “Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. “Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. “You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor. “But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.”
What is more, these men are sure that Job is a sinner.
Job 22:1-11 “Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded, “Can a vigorous man be of use to God, Or a wise man be useful to himself? “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect? “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you? “Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquities without end? “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked. “To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread. “But the earth belongs to the mighty man, And the honorable man dwells in it. “You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the orphans has been crushed. “Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you, Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And an abundance of water covers you.”
Now that was obviously the theology of the natives.
And it is the theology of many people in the world,
And sadly at times even in the church.
Something bad happens and instantly,
People go to wondering what they did wrong.
And I have to tell you, if you believe that in life
Then get ready for your faith to be blown into confusion.
Because one thing we have difficulty with in this life
Is when bad people prosper and good people suffer.
You may remember Psalm 73 when Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked and actually figured he must have taken the wrong road.
What we have learned is that the righteous are indeed blessed,
And the wicked are indeed cursed.
However the consequences are not immediate.
Eternity will accurately tell the story, but today may not.
Today the righteous do suffer.
Today the wicked do prosper.
And if you ignore that fact then on the day you suffer
It is liable to wreck your faith.
Instead know that even as a righteous man suffering may come,
But at the same time know that God will fulfill His will
Even in spite of your suffering.
But you see that these natives have this immediate reward belief system.
To them it only made sense that Paul must be wicked,
Why else would he be bitten by this snake.
And yet, we know the truth.
Paul is righteous, but is under attack.
The beauty is that God would not allow Satan to thwart His plan for Paul.
• Did Paul get bit? Yes
• Did it hurt? I imagine so
• But no snake could stop what God was doing through Paul.
Paul was protected.
And that is a good encouragement for us.
• Your suffering…Your hardship…Your dilemma does not necessarily
indicate that you are wicked or that you did something wrong.
• Furthermore, when your friends or family members suffer it doesn’t
necessarily mean that they did something wrong.
• Don’t buy the theology of Job’s friends or the theology of these natives.
• Instead see that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love Him.
• Some are preserved through the storm, some are miraculously
delivered from the viper.
• But regardless of the hardship, God’s people are under a protection.
• Nothing can thwart God’s plan for them.
• The only time death finds them is when Jesus finishes their dwelling
place.
• God’s plan is not thwarted.
Paul was flawlessly protected.
“he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”
Paul wasn’t a god, but his God was.
God’s Flawless Protection
#2 GOD’S FULL PROVISION
Acts 28:7-10
So, on one hand Paul and his passengers faced considerable dangers,
And yet God rescued them from all of them.
No storm, no sea, no natives, no snake could stop what God was doing.
But danger is really only part of the problem.
Let’s remember that they were just shipwrecked.
• Do you remember that they cut the ropes to the lifeboat?
• Do you remember that they threw all the wheat in the sea?
• Do you remember that the ship was broken to pieces by the waves?
Sure they made it safely to the island, but now they have nothing.
No food, no shelter, and no way to leave, for they don’t have a ship.
The immediate dangers have passed,
But there are still some very serious issues ahead of them.
And yet, God will take care of that too.
It all started with God using Paul to do some miraculous work.
(7-9) “Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured.”
Here Paul is exercising his apostolic power.
God had granted him the ability to heal, and that is precisely what he does.
Luke doesn’t mention that Paul preached the gospel,
But I don’t think it is far-fetched to assume that he did.
And yet what is foremost on Luke’s mind is that
God used this power He put into Paul
To secure the provisions that Paul and his crew needed.
For notice what happened next.
(10) “They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.”
There you have.
Full provision.
• Now suppose God had not empowered Paul to heal?
• Suppose Paul and his 275 friends were nothing but an economic burden on the island all winter.
Could you imagine having to care for 276 survivors
With no home and no resources all winter?
After feeding and housing them for three months
These people still provided all they needed for the journey.
WHY?
Because they were grateful for what Paul had done for them.
And Paul was only able to serve them
Because of what God had placed inside of him.
God was providing.
God was meeting their needs.
Had they lost a lot? Yes
But God restored all they needed.
That is the blessing of God’s full provision.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
The hardships they had faced may have put them in danger
And stripped them of all of their supplies,
But God was more than able to take care of all of that.
You see that despite the difficulties, God is still winning the day.
God’s Flawless Protection
God’s Full Provision
#3 GOD’S FULFILLED PROMISE
Acts 28:11-16
You read that account and verse 14 holds a beautiful phrase.
“and thus we came to Rome”
• I wonder if during his two years in jail Paul ever wondered if it would really happen?
• I wonder if day 13 on the sea, Paul wondered if it would really happen?
Well it did happen.
God said it would, and it did.
(15-16) “And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.”
I love the welcome party God planned for Paul.
Luke said believers came from as far as “the Market of Appius”.
That was a 43 mile walk.
And that, as well as being in Rome: Paul “thanked God and took courage.”
If you’re wondering what happened there in Paul’s heart –
Paul just stood on the mountain.
I’ve shared it with you before, but the story never gets old to me.
Exodus 3:11-12 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
We’ve talked about it before, but that isn’t much of a sign.
But can you imagine how Moses worshiped when he returned to that very mountain with all the freed slaves of Israel?
I don’t think words can express the type of worship that occurred.
That is the kind of worship that Paul had going on.
• The desire to come to Rome had long been a desire in Paul’s heart.
• The promise that he would see Rome was a promise three years in the
making.
How wonderful it must have been to finally stand on that earth.
All we can say at this moment is that this is the God we serve.
• He makes promises to us in His word.
Many times those promises are a direct fulfillment of the desires in our heart.
• But then those promises seem to be taking their dear sweet time.
• And if that wasn’t bad enough, then it seems that the whole world is against you and before long the dream becomes a distant memory.
But our God is faithful.
Maybe it’s taking longer than you thought.
Maybe the hardships you are facing have convinced you it can’t happen.
But don’t tell that to Paul.
He just saw his God fulfill a desire and a promise three years old.
God said it would happen.
• So what if Jews tried to kill him…
• So what if Governors refused to release him…
• So what if the captain of his ship is a daredevil…
• So what if they are in the storm of the century…
• So what if the natives are coming…
• So what if there is a viper in the fire wood…
• So what if you have no supplies…
None of those things can thwart the promise of God.
It brings to mind what Paul wrote to these very Romans in his letter:
Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And that is the faithful God we serve.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
And this is a foundational truth to lean on.
• It doesn’t matter if you are Job at the funeral of your kids…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Abraham still in the tent…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Joseph in an Egyptian prison…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Moses, 40 years shepherding sheep…
• It doesn’t matter if you are David, anointed king, yet still on the run…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Simeon, waiting to see the Christ…
• It doesn’t matter if you are in your own issues wondering how long…
God is faithful.
He keeps His promises.
He fulfills His will.
And regardless of what the enemy throws at Him,
God can either change the situation or carry you through it.
Paul’s arrival in Rome reminds us of that.
